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Drought is over: Cowboys beat Eagles; 1st playoff win since '96
By Jon Saraceno
January 9, 2010
ARLINGTON, TX — This was an evening to rejoice, if you were a fan of America's Team. A cold winter's night outside the billion-dollar Taj Mahal of pro football stadia gave way to a warm communal feeling inside as the Dallas Cowboys exorcised their recent postseason demons.
How 'bout those Cowboys: They finally won (another) playoff game.
Dallas, harangued by critics often for December swoons, demonstrated it could win in January, too. Capturing their first postseason game in more than a decade, the resurgent, defensive-minded Cowboys walloped the Philadelphia Eagles for a third time this season, 34-14 in a wild-card game between the NFC East rivals.
BOX SCORE: Cowboys 34, Eagles 14
It was a night of large rewards and even bigger plays, including running back Felix Jones' 73-yard touchdown burst through a gaping crevice in the Philadelphia defense late in the third quarter that sealed the deal for Dallas (12-5).
The triumph over Philadelphia (11-6) vaulted the Cowboys into the conference's divisional round at Minnesota next Sunday, the last franchise Dallas defeated in the postseason (1996) until Saturday.
ROAD TO SUPER BOWL XLIV
By winning, the Cowboys avoided the ignominy of setting an NFL record of seven consecutive playoff defeats.
Not even a future Hall of Fame coach, Bill Parcells, could help the Cowboys wander from the playoff desert in four seasons as head coach, losing twice.
But Wade Phillips did, at last.
Phillips' playoff record had been 0-4. With owner Jerry Jones yet to say if he'll be back next season, Phillips' job security was tepid at best entering the game at Cowboys Stadium.
Meanwhile, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo also had an 800-pound postseason gorilla to remove from his shoulder pads. He previously had lost his only two playoff starts, including his botched hold of a potential game-winning field goal three years ago in Seattle that sealed a defeat.
In the first half, Romo completed 17 passes for 203 yards and two scores as Dallas methodically constructed a 27-7 lead. For Romo, that was greater yardage production than he had in two playoff losses.
The oft-maligned quarterback got Dallas fans so revved, one man held up a "Romo Marry Me."
Other Cowboys could kick up their spurs, too.
Roy Williams reappeared in the Dallas offense, finding his hands and his mojo. The wide receiver finished the first half with five catches for 59 yards.
Jones rushed for 139 yards on 14 carries, including the longest TD run in Cowboys playoff history.
Dallas' defense, which has permitted only 14 points in the last 12 quarters, forced four turnovers and sacked McNabb four times.
Seven other Cowboys caught passes as Romo spread the offensive wealth. At one point, Dallas scored on five consecutive possessions against the helpless Eagles' defense.
The Cowboys' domination began in the first half, when they retained possession for nearly 23 minutes to the Eagles' seven minutes. Dallas amassed 259 yards offense during that span. The Cowboys' defense was equally adept, limiting the Eagles to 140 yards as quarterback Donovan McNabb scrambled for his life.
Dallas took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, converting a pair of critical third-downs and benefiting from an instant replay challenge by Phillips, which reversed what initially appeared to be a diving interception by Eagles safety Sean Jones.
A 17-yard completion to Roy Williams put the Cowboys at the Eagles' 19. Thanks to busted coverage, Romo found tight end Mark Witten all alone down the right sideline before he was pushed out at the 1.
On first and goal, Cowboys tailback Tashard Choice dove into the end zone for the touchdown.
Dallas dominated the first quarter statistically, retaining possession for almost 12 minutes, and outgaining Philadelphia 91-12 yards. But Dallas ultimately failed to light the scoreboard because of untimely penalties and a failure to protect Romo, whom the Eagles sacked twice.
On third-and-15 from the Eagles 36, Dallas opted for a safe run option, drawing loud disapproval from the home crowd. But the strategy worked. Dallas pinned the Eagles on their 3-yard line after a punt. When Philadelphia couldn't move the ball, the Cowboys regained possession near midfield.
A 40-yard interference penalty against Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, who bowled over Cowboys receiver Miles Austin in the end zone, gave Dallas the ball at the Philadelphia 1.
On first down, Romo deftly faked a handoff, rolled right and zipped a scoring strike to reserve tight end John Phillips. Dallas led 7-0, but the advantage didn't last longer than you could spell V-I-C-K.
On second-and-3 from the Eagles 24, former Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick was inserted into the lineup. Taking a direct snap from the wildcat formation, Vick lofted a spiral to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. The rookie streaked down the left sideline for a 76-yard touchdown. It was Vick's second TD pass of the season.
But Vick's costly fumble on a handoff to Leonard Weaver late in the second quarter enabled Dallas to take a 24-7 lead into halftime on a 6-yard dart from Romo to Austin.
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Jets beat Bengals in AFC wild-card opener
Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez passes for 182 yards and a touchdown while Shonn Green runs for 135 yards and a score in a 24-14 victory at Cincinnati
By LA Times
January 9, 2010
CINCINNATI - With their rookie quarterback playing mistake-free, the New York Jets turned their surprising playoff appearance into a long-running production.
Mark Sanchez handled single-degree wind chills and the playoff pressure with no problems Saturday, throwing a touchdown pass on a rollout play, and the NFL's top running game took it from there, setting up a 24-14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sanchez went 12 of 15 for 182 yards, becoming the fourth rookie quarterback since 1950 to start and win a playoff game. Third-round pick Shonn Greene ran for 135 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown, as the Jets' rookies made plays under the biggest pressure.
The Jets (10-7) got their first playoff victory since 2004 and pulled off a rare back-to-back sweep of the Bengals (10-7), who got a team playoff-record 169 yards from Cedric Benson but little else. Cincinnati's streak without a playoff win reached 19 years and counting.
Cincinnati went to the Meadowlands six days earlier and got turned into road kill. The Jets ran for 257 yards, and the Bengals managed a total of 72 yards, with Chad Ochocinco getting shut out.
Little changed the second time around.
No one should count the Jets out now, not the way their coach did two weeks ago. Rex Ryan thought the Jets were out of contention following a 10-7 loss to the Falcons that was set up by Sanchez's three interceptions. Then, everything lined up in their favor.
The Colts pulled their starters a week later, allowing the Jets to rally for a win, while four other playoff contenders lost. Then, the AFC North champs showed up at the Meadowlands last week and lost 37-0 with little at stake.
Ryan's father, Buddy, was the defensive line coach for the '69 Jets, who won the Super Bowl title that Broadway Joe Namath had guaranteed. These Jets came into the playoffs as an off-Broadway show, lacking a star quarterback who could deliver a win.
Until Saturday.
Sanchez played like a playoff pro, joining Shaun King, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger as rookie quarterbacks to win in the playoffs. His passer rating was a stratospheric 139.4.
Sanchez was by far the lowest-ranked passer in the playoffs, throwing 20 interceptions in his rookie season -- second-most in the league. The Bengals wanted to put the game in his hands. Playing without a glove on his passing hand in an 8-degree wind chill, the kid from Southern California handled it without a bobble.
The Jets pulled ahead 14-7 by halftime with two big plays off Sanchez's hand. He faked a handoff and made a perfect pitchout to Greene, who needed only one block to find open space for a 39-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career.
In the second quarter, Sanchez caught the Bengals off-guard. He rolled to his right and found tight end Dustin Keller running uncovered beyond the secondary. The throw was perfect, and Keller kept his balance for the last 15 yards while safety Chinedum Ndukwe vainly tried to knock him out of bounds.
At halftime, Sanchez was 7 of 10 for 94 yards with a passer rating of 132.9. It could have been even better -- Braylon Edwards let a pass slip through his hands in the end zone.
Sanchez led an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in Thomas Jones' 9-yard run for a 21-7 lead late in the third quarter. Benson broke a 47-yard touchdown run -- the longest in Bengals playoff history -- that got Cincinnati within a touchdown, but Sanchez and Greene turned it on again, setting up Jay Feely's 25-yard field goal.
It ended with a little more Jets serendipity. Shayne Graham, the Bengals' franchise-tagged player, missed two field goals in the second half, including a 28-yarder with 3:49 to go that essentially sealed it.
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